Navy deploys warships, helicopters to check maritime crimes

• NPA raises concern over rising GHG emission threats

The Nigerian Navy, Eastern and Central Commands have deployed 10 warships and helicopters to enhance security, helping to combat maritime crimes in the country.

This is in line with the Navy’s Exercise Sea Guard 2024. The exercise began yesterday, September 26, and is expected to last till Saturday 28, 2024. The warships, helicopters and other maritime assets deployed on waterways demonstrate the Navy’s readiness to ensure safety while showcasing the Navy’s maritime strength against economic saboteurs.
  
Flag Officer Commanding, Eastern Naval Command, Rear Admiral Saheed Akinwande, while performing the ceremonial flag off of the exercise onboard Nigerian Navy Ship Okpabana at the Federal Ocean Terminal, Onne, in Rivers State, said the Navy is determined to secure the country’s territorial waters to boost the nation’s maritime economy.
  
Akinwande said the nation’s maritime sector has the resources to sustain the country’s economy, expressing concern that despite officers from both Eastern and Central Commands patrolling the waterways regularly, pockets of criminality, such as oil theft, sea piracy, bunkering, among others, persist, making it impossible to harness the resources.
   
The Flag Officer Commanding said the joint operation by the Commands tagged, ’Exercise Sea Guard 2024’ is aimed at stopping perpetrators of maritime crime from having a field day on the nation’s waterways.
   
He said: “Over time, the Central Naval Command and the Eastern Naval Command have continuously been patrolling their respective areas of responsibilities through combined efforts, and this has yielded significant security improvement within their domain and adjourning environments.”

MEANWHILE, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has warned that the growing international maritime trade accounting for roughly three per cent of global Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, which could further rise, presents environmental and economic risks for Nigeria if not addressed.
   
The Managing Director, NPA, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, stated this, yesterday, at the 2024 World Maritime Day held in Lagos with the theme, ‘Navigating the Future: Safety First.’
   
Dantsoho, who was represented by the Executive Director of Engineering and Technical Services, Ibrahim Umar, said that climate change, driven by increased GHG emissions, poses serious threats, including rising sea levels and extreme weather events, which endanger Nigeria’s coastal and port infrastructure as well as surrounding communities.
 
To address these environmental challenges in maritime operations, Dantsoho announced the development of a comprehensive Port Emissions Inventory, aimed at tracking and reducing GHG emissions across Nigeria’s port activities. 
   
He said this will be a comprehensive tool to measure and monitor emissions from all port-related activities, including vessels at berth, cargo-handling equipment, and port service vehicles.